Local animal health authorities have been implementing measures to curb the spread of the bird flu virus to nearby areas, including the culling of over 2,200 remaining poultry, said the department.

Dien Bien currently is the only province of Vietnam being re-hit by the avian flu after the province was confirmed of being free of the H5N1 virus for several months this year.

Vietnam has reported five human infection cases of bird flu so far this year, and four of them died.

We Flublogian old-timers know that whatever else H5N1 is, it's a kick in the stomach to every hot-zone country it afflicts. Human casualties are the least of it.

A major part of the economy collapses as thousands or millions of birds have to be killed and the carcasses destroyed. Peasants who have actually prospered from poultry farming are impoverished overnight. Their customers lose a major source of cheap protein.

Imagine the social tensions if, say, the US cattle industry had to start slaughtering its herds to stamp out mad cow disease or hoof-and-mouth disease. That's what Vietnam, Indonesia, China, and many other countries have been facing for years.

Local animal health authorities have been implementing measures to curb the spread of the bird flu virus to nearby areas, including the culling of over 2,200 remaining poultry, said the department.

Dien Bien currently is the only province of Vietnam being re-hit by the avian flu after the province was confirmed of being free of the H5N1 virus for several months this year.

Vietnam has reported five human infection cases of bird flu so far this year, and four of them died.

We Flublogian old-timers know that whatever else H5N1 is, it's a kick in the stomach to every hot-zone country it afflicts. Human casualties are the least of it.

A major part of the economy collapses as thousands or millions of birds have to be killed and the carcasses destroyed. Peasants who have actually prospered from poultry farming are impoverished overnight. Their customers lose a major source of cheap protein.

Imagine the social tensions if, say, the US cattle industry had to start slaughtering its herds to stamp out mad cow disease or hoof-and-mouth disease. That's what Vietnam, Indonesia, China, and many other countries have been facing for years.